Tool for replacing jack studs



July 11, 1961 H. w. BURNS 2,991,547

TOOL FOR REPLACING JACK STUDS Filed NOV. 26, 1957 INVENTOR ATTORNEY,

United States Patent 2,991,547 TOOL FOR REPLACWG JACK SS Herbert W.Burns, Montebello, Galifi, assignor to American Telephone and TelegraphCompany, a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 26, 1957, Ser. No. 699,1233 Claims. (Cl. 29-271) This invention relates to tools and moreparticularly to a novel and useful tool and method of operation thereoffor repairing telephone system equipment.

In the conventional telephone jack employed, as for example, in a manualswitchboard, the tip spring is biased in such a manner that it engagesthe ring spring unless a spacer is placed between the springs. Normally,a flat head stud of insulating material is positioned in the jack sothat the shank of the stud is arranged to serve as the spacer betweenthe tip and ring springs. It is common in such jacks for the head andshank of the stud to split apart and fall out of the jack, causing thetip spring to engage the ring springs and short circuit the jack. Thestandard procedure for remedying this defect is to remove from theswitchboard the jack strip of which the jack is part and insert a newstud into the jack. The removal of the jack strip is a time-consumingoperation and when performed on an energized switchboard, constitutes asafety hazard. Also, in removing the jack strip, cable must be separatedwhich places considerable tension on all leads and may result in otherswitchboard failures in the form of broken or loose connections,insulator slipping, et cetera.

, It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple tool andmethod of operation for repairing defective telephone switchboards.

It is a particular object of the invention to provide a tool and methodof operation thereof for replacing broken studs in telephone jacks in arelatively safe and expeditious manner.

In an illustrative embodiment, the tool comprises a rigid bar, one endof the bar being flattened and appropriately bifurcated, and suitablesurfaces and markings along the length of the bar to facilitateoperation thereof.

According to one feature the tines of the tool hold the replacing studand are of unequal length for ma nipulating the contacts of the jackwhen the tool is appropriately rotated.

According to another fetaure gauge marks are located along the length ofthe tool at predetermined points to indicate the correct distance forinserting the tool into the jack to perform an appropriate movement inreplacing a jack stud.

According to still another feature the tool is inserted into the frontend of a jack and subjected to a series of elevational, longitudinal androtational movements to employ the structural characteristics of thetool to seat a stud into the jack.

' These and other features of the tool and method of operation thereofwill be more fully apprehended from the following detailed specificationtaken in conjunction with the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the tool;

FIG. 2 indicates a manner of loading the tool and orienting it forinsertion into a defective jack;

FIG. 2A shows a jack stud installed in a telephone jack;

FIGS. 3A through 3D indicate the sequence of operations employed inusing the tool to replace a jack stud in a short circuited jack; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of another embodiment of thetool.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 2A, a cylindrical rod member 1 is shownhaving a knurled handle 2 attached at one end thereof. It should beunderstood that member 1 may be of other geometrical shapes, but acylindrical rod has been selected for purposes of illustration only. TheWorking end of the tool has a flat portion 3 which is bifurcated withtines 4 being of unequal length for reasons which will become apparenthereinafter. The flat portion 3 is terminated in a shoulder 5 which istransverse to the portion 3.

Looking at the tool from the working end, a first flat surface 6 islocated on member 1. The surface 6 is rotationally displaced degreescounter-clockwise from portion 3 and it extends toward handle 2 for apredetermined distance from a plane passing through shoulder 5. A secondflat surface 7 is located on member 1. The surface 7 is in parallelplanar relation with portion 3 and it extends from the shoulder 5 to thehandle 2. A third flat surface 8 of convenient length is located onhandle 2 in parallel planar relation with surfaces 3 and 7.

A first gauge mark 9 is located at the handle end of the surface 6 andsimilarly a second gauge mark 10 is located on surface 7. The mark 9 islocated a predetermined distance from shoulder 5. The gauge marks may beetched on the member 1 and they are transverse to their associatedsurfaces. These marks serve as tool positioning guides to an operatorfor performing a particular sequence of operations with the tool inreplacing a jack stud. The sequence of operations will be describedhereinafter. It is apparent that the marks need not be etched on themember 1, but may, of course, be painted or placed on the bar by othermeans.

In FIG. 2, the tool is shown loaded with an insulating jack stud 11 andin proper position for insertion into a short circuited jack 12 locatedin a manual switchboard 13. Another method of loading the tool (notshown) is to place a stud in the tool in an upright position and insertthe tool into the jack until the shoulder 5 is coincident with the outeredge of the jack 12. Then, the tool is rotated 90 degreescounter-clockwise, which places it in a position similar to that shownin FIG. 2. The former method of loading the tool has been chosenhereinbelow for reasons of convenience in describing the operation ofthe tool. The jack, as is well understood in the art, comprises a sleeve14, tip and ring springs 15 and 16, respectively, stud holes 17, andstop spring 18. The stud holes 17 pass through the ring spring 16 andthe stop spring 18. The jack is short circuited due to the fact that nojack stud '11 is located in stud hole 17, as shown in FIG. 2A, whichenables the tip and ring springs to engage one another and shortcircuit, as explained hereinbefore.

The sequence of operations employed in using the tool will now bedescribed in conjunction with FIGS. 3A through 3D. In FIG. 3A the loadedtool is shown properly inserted into jack 12 with the gauge mark 9coincident with the outer edge of the jack and the flat surface 6 facingupward. The purpose of flat surface 6 is to provide positive clearancebetween the cylindrical rod and jack sleeve to enable longitudinal,vertical and rotational movement of the tool within the jack. In thisposition of the tool the long tine 4- overhangs the tip spring 15. Theshort tine 4 abuts the end of the spring 15, which prevents furtherentry of the tool into the jack.

The next operation of the tool is shown in FIG. 3B and involves rotatingthe tool clockwise 90 degrees until the flat surface 7 becomes the uppersurface of the tool in the jack sleeve. It is evident in performing thisoperation that tip spring 15 is depressed underneath the tool by theaction of the longer tine. Also it will be noted for keeping the tool ina horizontal plane.

that the jack stud 11 has been rotated from a horizontal to a verticalposition. After rotation the handle is depressed and the tool thrustfurther into the jack, as shown in FIG. 3C, until the gauge mark it) iscoincident with the outer edge of the jack. This action enables the toolto ride over the tip and ring springs and places thehead of the jackstud in contact with the jack sleeve portion overhanging the stud hole17. In this position the handle 2 is raised and the tool thrust furtherinto the jack until the handle is contiguous to the outer edge of thejack, as shown in FIG. 3D. This action widens the separation between thestop spring and the jack sleeve portion overhanging the stud hole 17 sothat the jack stud can fit in between these surfaces. It will be notedthat the length along the bar from the handle to the stud 11 issubstantially the same as the axial distance from the outer edge of thejack to the stud holes 17. Thus, the shank end of the stud can be placedinto the stop spring portion of stud hole 17 by lowering the handle 2 toa horizontal position and moving the tool sideways in the jack. The flatsurface 8 serves as a guide to the operator The stud is seated in thestud hole 17 by the ring spring 16 and the stop spring 18 returning totheir normal position when the tool is withdrawn from the jack. The toolshould be withdrawn from the jack without turning or up and downmovement which could possibly interfere with the seating of stud 11.

Since the tool operations are performed at the various gauge marks it isimportant that the marks be placed accurately on the tool frommeasurements made on the particular jack to be repaired by the tool.Otherwise, the tool could cause damage to the jack from the variousoperations. Thus, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the axial distance along the bar 1from gauge mark 9 to the outer end of the longer tine should be slightlymore than the axial distance of the jack from the outer edge thereof tothe outer edge of tip spring 15. And, the axial distance from gauge markto the outer end of the longer tine should be slightly more than theaxial distance of the jack from the outer edge thereof to the outer edgeof stop spring 18.

It is apparent that the total time for performing these operations is amatter of minutes and not hours as may be the case in the removal of thejack strip from the switchboard and the repair of the jack. Also, thetool being inserted into the front of the jack enables the replacementof the stud to be done in comparative safety since the energized leadsof the switchboard or jack strip need not be exposed in order tocomplete the repair of the jack.

On some telephone jacks depressing the tip ring and stop springs doesnot require substantial leverage and tools for this type jack may besimplified as shown in FIG. 4. In such cases the diameter or thicknessof the bar 19 may be made substantially less than the diameter of thejack sleeve which eliminates the necessity for flat surfaces, as shownin the embodiment of FIG. 1. Also, the gauge marks 20 and 21 may bepainted on instead of being etched on as disclosed in the embodiment ofFIG. 1. The tines 22 and flat pontions 23 and 24 are the same as thosein FIG. 1 but the tool is more readily fabricated than that of FIG. 1.With such a tool the flats 23 and 24 would be oriented vertically and tothe left side in the positions of FIGS. 2 and 3A.

It will be seen from the above-disclosed structures and method ofoperation that a simple tool has been devised which is readily adaptableto manufacture on a mass production basis. The tool is of unique shapefor employing a distinctive combination of operations adapted to replaceefliciently a stud in a telephone jack in a short interval of time andin a relatively safe manner.

Numerous modifications of the tool and method of operation may bedevised by those skilled in the art Without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A stud inserting tool for replacing broken studs in a telephone jackthat includes a sleeve, tip and ring springs and a stop spring, saidtool comprising a cylindrical bar, a handle attached to one end of saidbar having a level surface at its bar end, the unattached end of saidbar having a flat portion in parallel planar relation with said levelsurface, the bar including a shoulder terminating the flat portion andtransverse thereto, said flat portion being bifurcated to form a pair oftines of unequal length having a tapered slot therebetween, and firstand second gauge marks placed on the bar, the first gauge mark beingspaced from the outer end of the longer tine a distance slightly morethan the axial distance of the sleeve from the outer end thereof to thetip spring, the second gauge mark being spaced from the outer end of thelonger tine a distance slightly more than axial distance of the sleevefrom the outer end thereof to the stop spring.

2. A stud inserting tool as defined in claim 1 wherein said markings aremeans for indicating particular distances for inserting the tines intothe jack and performing preselected operations at each marking to placea stud loaded in the tines into the jack.

3. A stud inserting tool for replacing broken studs in a telephone jackthat includes a sleeve, tip and ring springs being hooked at theircontact ends, a stop spring and a stud hole that extends through the tipand ring springs and the stop spring, said tool comprising a bar havinga length slightly longer than the distance of the sleeve from the outerend thereof to the stud hole of the telephone jack, a handle attached toone end of said bar having a level surface at its bar end, theunattached end of said bar having a flat portion in parallel planarrelation with said level surface, the bar including a shoulderterminating the flat portion and transverse thereto, said flat portionbeing bifurcated to form a pair of tines of unequal length having atapered slot therebetween, the longer tine extending beyond the shortertine a distance substantially equal to the hooked end of the tip spring,a first gauge mark spaced from the outer end of the longer tine adistance slightly more than the axial distance of the sleeve from theouter end thereof to the tip spring, and a second gauge mark spaced fromthe outer end of the longer tine a distance slightly more than the axialdistance of the sleeve from the outer end thereof to the stop spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS828,625 Ogg Aug. 14, 1906 1,711,062. Purinton Apr. 30, 1929 2,291,795Colt Aug. 4, 1942

